Sky Pirates Don't Cry
by Xinyii xo
Summary: Slight AU. Vaan retells his past to a broken Balthier, revealing that the two had more in common than the simple interest in sky pirating. Three years pass and Vaan comes to accept the fact that he has been left alone in the world but…


_**Sky Pirates Don't Cry**_

_-xxx-_

_**Warning: **_AU-ish, spoilers from the Pharos onwards

_-xxx-_

_Fate can be so cruel at times… but there are some times where I am thankful for it.._

_-xxx-_

As night quickly approached, Balthier slowly felt his eyelids falling over his tired eyes as his head started to nod off. Shaking his head awake, he rubbed his eyes with a free hand while the other went to turn the _Strahl_ on auto-pilot.

Almost everyone had retired to their rooms earlier than usual for the night. Penelo had been the first, followed by Ashe. Vaan and Basch had gone to bed at approximately the same time. After it had gotten really late, Fran decided that it was time to go to rest up leaving Balthier alone to fly the ship.

It wasn't a surprise that everyone was exhausted after that tiring trek up the Pharos along with the intense confrontation with Gabranth and Dr. Cid. There was also the fact that they had lost an ally in the process. It was just all too much to handle in one day. Everything that had happened at the Pharos just seemed so unreal.

_-xxx-_

Balthier sluggishly approached his room once he had turned off all the lights in the airship. Half asleep and slightly dizzy, he pushed the door opened loudly. In the darkness, the brunette saw a dark figure jump up from the bed, startled. Confused and angry, Balthier approached the dark figure and roughly yanked his arm.

"Do you have any proper explanation to why you're in my room, Vaan?" he snarled.

The tired blond took a minute to reply, obviously still recovering from the sudden and rude awaking.

"I should be the one asking you that question…" Vaan said while yawning loudly, rubbing his eyes.

Raising a fine eyebrow, Balthier surveyed his surroundings and even though there were no lights on and it was hard to see anything, it was obvious that he was not in his room. It was way too small to belong to him. Realizing this, he slowly released his tight grasp on Vaan as the thief brought his arm back to examine it, the pain still throbbing.

"What is wrong with you?" Vaan sniffed the air before continuing. "Have you been drinking?"

Balthier looked away and turned towards the door. "It is none of your concern."

Vaan crossed his arms, kicking the thick blankets off him as he stared at the older man's back. "Are you alright?" he asked softly despite the way Balthier had just snapped at him a seconds ago. Even though Vaan would've usually argued back in the same tone, something was definitely off with the sky pirate, and when he was pissed, there was usually a logical reason to why he was. It wasn't like him to act irresponsible and drink when he had to be flying the airship the next morning.

"Like I said before, it is none of your business," he repeated just as coldly.

"Of course it's my damn business!" Vaan shouted while slamming his hand down on the firm mattress. "We're friends, aren't we?" He quietly waited for a response, anything out of Balthier. When nothing happened, he spoke again.

"It's Dr. Cid… isn't it…?" The party had all seen the fate that had awaited the mad scientist once he was defeated. And although Balthier had seemed unfazed by it, not saying anything on the way back to the airship, his actions said everything. He wasn't as focused whenever they were attacked by the monsters in the Pharos, his strikes missing most of the times. The self-acclaimed leading man was constantly in need of healing from his party members due to his inability to block a majority of the fiends' attacks. It was hard to watch Balthier fall apart like that.

But even so, no one had said a word… for they were all at a lost at what to say.

The sky pirate scoffed softly, but Vaan could hear how broke it sounded. "Don't be ridiculous."

Vaan swung his body around so that his legs hung off the side of the bed as he continued to stare at Balthier's back. Slowly, he let his gaze drop to his hands resting on his lap.

"My dad was always hard-working. He did everything he could to support Reks, my mom and me… although he constantly joked that I was always a handful." Vaan twiddled with his thumbs as he recalled his past. "No one wanted to hire my mom because of her weak health so my dad had to work two jobs. He also did some errands on the side because those two jobs weren't enough to support us."

Balthier slowly turned his head around towards the thief as he continued. "But one day my dad caught the plague and while my mom was frantically trying to nurse him back to health she caught it," Vaan bit his lip as he painfully remembered how he was too young to understand what was happening while Reks looked on heartbroken. "My parents, they… they didn't stand a chance against the plague…" Vaan whispered almost to himself. "My mom died first and my dad joined her three weeks later…" he said quietly as he tried to control the throbbing ache in his chest as he retold the death of his parents. "I know how it feels to lose a mother _and_ a father, Balthier…"

"No you don't," Balthier said harshly as he fully turned to the grieving teen; his fierce eyes contrasting greatly with Vaan's sad eyes. "You have no _idea_ how painful it is to watch someone you care about slowly lose their mind!" he accused.

"It's like you don't know them anymore… like the precious memories you shared with them in the past don't exist anymore…"

Balthier's eyes widened slightly as he stared at Vaan in disbelief. It was as if he had read the feelings echoing in his heart. "… how do you…?"

Vaan brought his knees to his bare chest as he wrapped his arms around them tightly, tucking his chin in. "My brother… he didn't die instantly when Gabranth stabbed him… but he was very badly injured and had barely survived. I visited him at the hospital everyday to keep him company, waiting for the day where we could go home together… but you know… my brother hated war. He hated fighting and violence." Slowly, Balthier quietly moved to sit down next to Vaan. "He only joined the army to keep me and Penelo's family safe. Once in the army, he wrote me a few letters and he always talked about his captain and how much he idolized him," Vaan said, obviously referring to Basch back when he was captain of the Dalmascan army.

"When he saw someone he idolized turn on him and assassinate the king along with his soldiers it traumatized him and… he was never the same after that. When he was in the hospital, I could see that his mind was slowly slipping. He wasn't the Reks that I remembered. He wasn't the Reks who was my older brother. He became unresponsive and all he did everyday was sit in a chair and faced the window until it was time to go to sleep."

Vaan breathed heavily, trying to keep his tears to himself. He had his fist clenched so tightly he could feel his nails digging into his palm.

"And then one day…"

"_Hey, Reks, I brought you something…"_

_Vaan slowly walked into the clean white room and towards the center where his brother was always seated. Vaan's hands were behind his back as he stood in front of his brother, blocking his view of the outside world. He smiled but his gray eyes displayed nothing but sadness, dark circles appearing under his eyes from lack of sleep._

_From behind his back, he pulled out numerous brightly colored flowers and held it out to him._

"_Galbana lilies… your favorite. I was walking around and I found a whole bunch of them and took as many as I could with me. Here…" Vaan said as he extended his arm towards his brother._

_Reks stared blankly as the flowers, his expression unchanging, as he slowly raised his head towards Vaan. Once his eyes met Vaan's, the blond froze, his body locked into place. _

_It was like staring into the eyes of the dead._

_Slowly, Reks moved his mouth but no words came out. Vaan stared in disbelief, his grip tightening on the flowers as he crushed the stems. He dropped the flowers to the floor as he ran out of the room, trying his best to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill as he couldn't stop replaying what Reks had tried to say to him._

'_Who are you?'_

"… I stopped visiting him after that and a few days later I was told that he had passed away…"

Balthier patted his back softly as Vaan remained seated like that for a little longer.

"It hurts doesn't it…? And you miss him…" Vaan said in a hushed voice.

Frowning, Balthier withdrew his hand from Vaan's warm back. "Why would I miss that old man? All he cared about was nethicite… nothing else mattered to him," Balthier grimaced. "Even when he was dying he still felt that he was doing the right thing…"

"Maybe he meant trying to put history into the hands of man…" Balthier sighed as he looked to the floor of the room and away from Vaan's gaze. "Regardless of what he did, he's still your father…"

"That man at Pharos was not my father…" He made his hands into fists. "I lost my father a long, long time ago."

Vaan shook his head as he lightly grabbed Balthier's wrist. "No… I truly believe that your father never left you… this is all Venat's fault" Balthier slowly turned his head back towards Vaan once again, his hands still firmly on his wrist.

Balthier didn't move from his spot as his gaze slowly fell away from Vaan's.

"You miss him, don't you?"

"I… miss the times we spent together as a family before his obsession towards nethicite," Balthier quietly admitted. "But when my mother passed away, I think the pain of losing someone he loved broke him and he tried to fill that hole with research." Very slowly, Balthier leaned towards Vaan as the thief remained still. "He used to be kind and loving."

Vaan wrapped his arms around the older sky pirate and tucked his chin against his back. Vaan had never seen Balthier so… broken like this before. The Balthier he was used to seeing was strong, proud, witty and over confident. He was never really open with his feelings, making him all the more mysterious.

"I think what happened to Dr. Cid at Pharos was for the best… He's at a better place now with his wife and away from the nethicite." Vaan whispered into Balthier's ear lovingly. "He is free from Venat."

He knew that this would be the only time when he would be able to hold him in his arms to comfort him, and he felt special knowing that this moment only happened between him and his dear sky pirate. Vaan moved a bit to place his warm lips against the sky pirate's neck and they lingered there for a second or two.

"You know… it's okay to cry, Balthier," Vaan said quietly while rubbing his back, allowing his fingers to run across the exquisite design of his vest, maintaining the warm embrace.

Vaan heard a soft scoff from the man in his arms.

"Leading men don't cry…"

Regardless of what Balthier said, that didn't stop the shakiness in his voice as Vaan tightened his hold on him.

"_I love you, dear Ffamran, my precious son."_

_-xxx-_

_Are the stars in the sky the same as where you are?_

_-xxx-_

The afternoon sun shined brightly on the Royal City of Rabanastre as Vaan raised his hand to shield his eyes from the sun's rays.

The city was as lively as ever now that there was peace between the countries. Queen Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca ruled her kingdom quietly at the Royal Palace while the peace-loving Emperor Larsa was loved and respected in Archadia.

As Vaan walked through the busy streets of his hometown, he found it hard to believe that three years have passed since the Fall of _Bahamut_. Archadia no longer ruled the Kingdom of Dalmasca and their banners no longer decorated the buildings and streets of the royal city. Imperials no longer roamed or controlled the city with fear.

The people of Dalmasca finally knew peace after so long.

Vaan passed through the West Gate and walked towards the end of Rabanastre and into the dry deserts of the Westersand. Running through the sand, Vaan quickly reached his destination in a matter of minutes. Soon, he stood facing a massive and tall rubble of metal covered in plant life; the Sky Fortress _Bahamut_. In the far distance he could still see the great city of Rabanastre.

The now-sky pirate walked closer to the landmark and stopped in front of three similar graves that sat side by side each other. Each grave had a large stone in the ground with a name carved onto the rough surface. The stone on the far left had the name "Reks" neatly written in the center. Vaan noticed that all of the graves already had a bouquet of flowers resting besides it.

Vaan smiled a bit. "I guess Penelo's already been here."

For Reks; Vaan placed a couple of Galbana lilies neatly on top of Penelo's flowers.

Next to Rek's grave was a grave for Fran as Vaan placed flowers similar to Penelo's over her grave.

Vaan held onto the remaining flowers tightly in his hand before moving on to the last grave. Biting his lip, he slowly walked to the grave on the far right next to Fran's and crouched down in front of it, his eyes meeting the words "Balthier" on the stone.

Roughly rubbing the salty tears from his stinging eyes, Vaan quickly placed the flowers in front of his grave and stood up. He turned to the blue skies and allowed a single tear to slip past his gray eyes. He felt it trail down his cheek and neck as his mind wondered to the only person who managed to make him feel special; like he was loved and cherished in a way neither his family nor Penelo could ever do.

Ever since the Fall, Vaan had made a habit of constantly looking at the sky whenever he was alone. It comforted him whenever his eyes scanned the sea of blue or the dark night sky because he knew that wherever Balthier was, maybe he was staring at the same sky.

As Vaan lowered his head to gaze back one last time at his loved ones, he stared to make his way back home.

_At least he's finally with his family again…_

_-xxx-_

Once he returned to the West Gate, Vaan walked into the Aerodrome to check up on the _Strahl_. He had promised Balthier that he would take good care of it and he wasn't going to make Balthier regret giving Vaan the responsibly of taking care of it. Vaan would make sure to come by multiple times a week to check up on it. Sometimes Penelo would join him and help but she was busy running errands for Migelo for the day. And whenever he chose fly Her, he was always sure to be careful and only flew it on sunny days with little wind.

Now that he was a sky pirate, he went wherever he wanted to whenever he felt like it. Most of the times Penelo tagged along and they traveled together. He was finally living his dream but he still didn't feel satisfied. Something was still missing from his life. After the battle above Rabanastre ended, the party mourned for the sacrifices of their friends, but fully aware that it was a noble one.

Everyone went their separate ways after that; Ashe took the throne and became Queen of Dalmasca while Larsa took the position as emperor in Archadia. Archades was where Vaan and Penelo often flew to visit Larsa and Basch since Penelo was still very close to the young Emperor and if Larsa was free, they would often sit in the open courtyard and talk.

It was obvious that the death of Balthier and Fran affected everyone; they all wished that it hadn't happened, that there was some other way to stop the _Bahamut_ from falling onto Rabanastre but it was painfully obvious that there was no other alternative. It was also unfortunate that they couldn't be properly honored as heroes because of their statuses as sky pirates. No one other than the party knew of their honorable sacrifices to save the lives of the Rabanastran people.

After talking to the people at the Aerodrome, Vaan walked to where he always parked the _Strahl_ only to find it gone. Missing.

Vaan felt his heart drop and his face pale.

How could he have let this happen? Wasn't he supposed to take care of it? The _Strahl_ was important to Balthier as it was just as important to Vaan and he just let someone steal it.

Vaan frantically looked around searching, his head spinning. Who could've taken it? The employees knew that the airship belonged to him and without the proper identification, no one was allowed back here.

"No, no, no… where the hell is it?" Vaan shouted, his voice echoing loudly off the walls.

The _Strahl _was gone… _Gone. _

And it was all his fault.

Vaan wanted to pull his hair out. This couldn't be happening. He brought his hands to his head. "Where the hell is it?"

"Good to hear that your profanity hasn't changed at all these past years…"

Vaan froze once he heard that accented voice, his body unmoving.

No, he had to be dreaming. There was no way that was his voice. He was dead! He had even seen it with his own eyes; the agonizing sight of the _Bahamut_ falling right outside Rabanastre while he was still inside! He had heard the disconnection of his radio when trying to communicate with him. As much as he wished he was wrong, his fate was inevitable.

And it had taken him three long years to accept that.

"Ah, I should probably tell you that I've picked up the _Strahl_. She's parked right out on the Estersands so no need to worry."

The dreamy voice got closer as Vaan heard quiet footsteps accompanying it. The footsteps sounded familiar. He had heard them all throughout their journey together; the sound of steel hitting pavement with each step.

Vaan had his shoulders locked up and tense as the man approached him slowly. He was afraid to turn around; afraid that if he did then the voice would disappear and he would realize that he was only dreaming.

"What's the matter, aren't you glad to see me, Vaan?"

Slowly, very slowly, Vaan turned around and gradually scanned the handsome figure standing in front of him; his arms confidently crossed over his broad chest while leaning onto his left leg, that familiar and heart-melting smirk on his charming face, his wonderfully spiked hair styled the same way he remembered, piercings decorating both ears along with numerous colorful jewelry along his left hand. There was no denying it; he was really there, standing in front of him. Vaan could only stare with his mouth agape.

He smiled. "Oh, I see, you are charmed by my stunning good looks. That is understandable since it's been a while since we've last seen each other," he said, his smirk widening.

Vaan moved closer to him, taking small steps. He raised his hand slowly to his face to try to touch it. "B-balthier…?" he whispered, his voice shaking.

"The one and only," he smiled.

Vaan clenched his fists and quickly threw a rough and hard punch towards the Archadian as Balthier fell backwards onto the hard floor. Vaan stood still, inhaling and exhaling deeply as Balthier moved to touch his throbbing cheek.

"That's going to leave a mark," he said as he spat out blood from his mouth onto the clean tiled floor. He had almost forgotten how much strength Vaan possessed, almost rivaling his and Basch's. "I'm guessing you're not glad to see me…"

Vaan approached Balthier and roughly grabbed the collar of his fine dress shirt much to the protest of the older man. "I thought you were dead! _Everyone_ thought you were dead! I thought I lost you forever! Three years… Balthier, for three _fucking_ years I thought that I would never be able to see you again!" Vaan shouted. "And here you are, waltzing in without a care in the world about the people you've worried!" Vaan shook him as Balthier couldn't say anything, his eyes locked onto Vaan's furious face.

"You didn't even come to see us! To tell us that you were alright! I thought you cared about us! … About me! Didn't you tell me that you loved me? Or was that all a lie? Was I just some play thing for you to toy around with? Something you could throw away when you didn't have a need for it anymore?"

Vaan continued to shake Balthier even when the tears came and fell on Balthier. Unable to hold back any of the tears, Vaan threw Balthier back on the floor and tried to stop the tears from falling and stinging his eyes.

No, he didn't want to feel happy that Balthier was back after not showing up for so long. He felt so used. If he was alive all this time, why didn't he even come to see him? Did he not matter to the older sky pirate anymore? Was he just some street urchin to him now? He couldn't be happy.

But he did.

Balthier was alive. And with him. But he wanted to be angry at him. To be furious with him. How dare he make him suffer and pity him when he wasn't even important to him anymore? The brunette had made him waste three years worrying about him.

He didn't want to feel joyful about Balthier's return.

"You suck, Balthier…" he sobbed. "I hate you… I hate you… I…"

Balthier got up and wrapped his arms around Vaan tightly as Vaan cried even harder. "I'm so sorry, Vaan… please believe me, I really am… I should've told you earlier." Vaan started to shake against Balthier's strong body as he held him even closer, patting his soft hair and rubbing his back to calm his crying. "I'm sorry…"

_Three years ago…_

_Light… where is that light coming from?_

Reaching up, Balthier opened his eyes only to find himself in a foreign place. He looked around trying to recall the place from somewhere but he couldn't recognize it. There was nothing around him, he was all alone.

"Fran? Princess?" He called out hoping someone would hear him. "… Vaan?" Balthier got up and started to walk around. He needed to get out. Now. Everyone was waiting for him. Didn't he tell the princess that the leading man never died? What kind of person would he be if he had let the princess down?

"…ran… Ffamran…?"

Balthier froze as he recognized that voice. Turning around, he met the figure of his father staring kindly back at him.

"Old man?"

He laughed as he approached Balthier. "Where did that come from? I like it better when you call me 'father' like when you were little, Ffamran."

Balthier stared accusingly at Dr. Cid. "What is going on?"

"The _Bahamut_ fell… and you saved it from falling onto Rabanastre…"

Balthier crossed his arms. "So… I'm dead?"

Dr. Cid placed his hand on Balthier's shoulder but his hand just went through Balthier. He stared at his father's translucent hand in disbelief. "I'm sorry, Ffamran, I've been such a horrible father. You ran away because of me… you suffered because of me. It is understandable if you still hate me for all the terrible things I've done."

Balthier didn't respond as Dr. Cid pulled his hand away from Balthier. "It's not your time yet, son, you can't give up yet. I'm sure that I didn't raise you to give up on life so easily."

Balthier turned to his father, arms still crossed, as Dr. Cid walked towards him, arms opened. He wrapped his arms around his son but Balthier felt no warmth from the embrace. He felt nothing around him. In front of him, Balthier saw his father slowly start to fade away just like at the Pharos.

"I'm sorry, my son. I've been so terrible. I let my obsession come between us. You don't have to forgive me, but—"

Dr. Cid took a step back. Balthier could barely see him anymore as he was fading away too fast. Dr. Cid moved his hand towards Balthier's head and lightly patted it as Balthier stared at the familiar gesture with wide eyes.

"I love you, my dear Ffamran."

With one last smile, Dr. Cid faded away as darkness suddenly enveloped his father. The darkness started to spread all around him as Balthier tried to reach out for his father, to try to grab him and pull him back. Suddenly he found himself reaching for the bright sky as soldiers crowded around him.

"Is he awake?"

"Yes, yes, he's just woken up!"

"Thank god, someone go inform Queen Ashe!"

"Someone get him and the Viera to a hospital!"

Balthier could barely keep his eyes opened as he was picked up and gingerly placed onto something else. He didn't know what was going on. The only thing that he was aware of was that everything hurt and he was unable to move his pain-hindered body. Even when they gently moved him, pain rushed throughout his body.

_Wha… what happened?_

"_I love you, my dear Ffamran."_

Balthier closed his eyes to block the bright sun shining in his eyes. When he opened them again, he saw the _Bahamut_… or what was left of it. The sky fortress was badly damaged, the exterior barely recognizable. It wasn't as big as he remembered it to be. It was hard to believe that that trash of metal used to be the fearful and all-powerful Sky Fortress _Bahamut_ made by his father.

Ignoring the sharp pain throbbing all over his body, Balthier turned his head to the side and saw Fran lying next to him, her wounds weren't as bad as his as he sighed in relief knowing that his partner was safe.

He turned his head back to the blue cloud-less sky and closed his eyes for a short nap, dreaming about seeing a certain blond thief once this was all over.

_-xxx-_

"Your majesty, the sky pirate Balthier and his partner have been retrieved from the wreckage of the _Bahamut_ safely. They are now on their way to the nearest hospital. I am told that they should be fine in a month or so."

The queen turned away from the balcony overlooking the city of Rabanastre as she couldn't stop herself from smiling and feeling relief, her short pale hair blowing softly in the light wind.

"Thank goodness," she sighed, her hand to her heart. "Thank you for telling me, you are dismissed."

The messenger bowed politely to the new queen. "But Queen Ashe, please forgive my rudeness, but these people you asked to save… these _sky pirates_ are wanted criminals. I heard one of them even has a high bounty on his head. Shouldn't we be taking them to the dungeons?"

The queen slowly turned back to the view of the city. "You are right. These sky pirates are wanted criminals and they are thieves," she said while looking at her ring-less finger. "But they are my friends and are heroes to the people of Rabanastre. I know those two, and despite what they do for a living, they are kind and good people."

The messenger bowed once again. "Please forgive me, I didn't mean to be rude to your friends, your majesty."

Ashe shook her head. "It is understandable why you feel this way. You are forgiven. You may leave."

He nodded towards the queen and moved to leave.

"I'm sorry but there's just one more thing I need to ask of you."

He turned to the queen once again, his hands held together politely in front of him. "Anything, Queen Ashe."

"Tell the soldiers and the hospital not to let word of the survival of those sky pirates to the public. No one must know that they lived or their lives may be put in danger, understood?"

"Understood."

_-xxx-_

"I'm sorry, Vaan, I should've come back earlier…"

Vaan sniffled onto his expensive vest, his arms also around the older sky pirate. "Then why didn't you?"

Balthier brought Vaan's head closer to him as his crying seemed to stop a bit. "You want the truth?" He felt Vaan nod against his shoulder. "I… was afraid… of this happening basically…"

Vaan tried to stop his crying as he looked to him with watery and swollen eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I was afraid that you'll be mad at me for leaving you and everyone else when I decided to go back to the _Bahamut_'sengine room."

"Well, I was mad…"

Balthier nodded. "See…"

"But I'm even angrier over the fact that you waited three whole years to show up." Vaan told him. "And you decided to steal the _Strahl_ first before making an appearance."

"The _Strahl_ was mine to begin with so I did not steal Her. And I am the leading man, mind you. I have to make a grand entrance, my dear Vaan."

Vaan couldn't help but smile a bit. Some things really didn't change. Not even after three years.

"Okay, up you go," Balthier said with his dreamy baritone voice as he stood up with Vaan in his arms. The younger sky pirate flushed a deep red as Balthier carried him out with his hands on his back and the back of his knees.

"H-hey, Balthier! What the hell are you doing? Put me down!" Vaan squirmed around in Balthier's grasp trying to get off but Balthier would have none of that. He tightened his hold on Vaan, especially around his knees, hindering the blond's escape. "Put me down, Balthier! P-people are staring!"

"Now, now, Vaan, calm down." His pleasant tone of voice was not helping Vaan's situation at all. It was obvious that he was enjoying this. "As you are aware, I am the leading man, and it is only suitable that I have a leading lady like yourself." He said while smiling.

Oh _hell _no.

"La-_lady_? Did you just call me a girl?" Vaan shouted in his ear. "There's no way in hell I'm being your leading _lady_!"

"You should be honored, Vaan, and plus, there can't be two leading men. That is just ridiculous," Balthier said. "And hush Vaan, you are disturbing everybody."

"Well, I can't be your leading lady because I'm a guy! And they're disturbed because you're the one making a scene!"

Balthier hummed to himself. "I think today's a good day to go visit the queen, do you not agree?"

Vaan continued to struggle in Balthier's grasp. "I think it's a good today to let me go!"

"Hmm, well, if you insist," and with that said, Balthier realized his hold on Vaan as he fell onto the ground with a loud _thud_ followed by an equally loud "ow".

"What was that for?" Vaan shouted angrily once he got up off the ground, his backside throbbing with pain. Balthier just looked away innocently.

"You asked me to let you go and I did."

"Yeah, to let me go… not to _drop_ me onto the ground!"

"Now, now, Vaan. You can't have your madhu and drink it too," he said mockingly.

Vaan glared at Balthier as they ran throughout the streets of Rabanastre, Balthier always just a few feet ahead as Vaan ran as fast as he could to catch up. Despite the annoyance he felt towards the older sky pirate, he couldn't help but feel happy that he was back.

And he knew that he was here to stay.

_-xxx-_

_**Sky Pirates Don't Cry [END]**_

_-xxx-_

_**A/n: **_Wow... I think this was the longest one-shot (or story/chapter) I've ever written. There's bound to be errors all over the place. If you find one, I would appreciate it if you politely pointed it out to me, thanks~

I just finished the game recently and I just love Balthier/Vaan and wanted to contribute to the fandom here~ C8 I hope you enjoyed it. I spent a lot of time on it lol (maybe a bit more than I should've... lol)

I just expanded on some of the things in the game like that scene with Vaan and Reks in the white room... ehehe... I couldn't tell if that really happened or not but whatever lol_**  
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_**Disclaimer: **_I do not own _Final Fantasy XII_. If I did, there would've been a lot more Balthier/Vaan scenes and Balthier would've actually been _in_ the final cutscene.

_**Please leave a review~ C8**_


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